Arsenal gets $14 million contract from Army for howitzer

The Watervliet Arsenal has been awarded a $14 million contract by the Army to make breechblocks for the its 105 millimeter howitzer system, known as the M119A2 towed howitzer, as part of a redesign.

Here is an explanation given by the Arsenal about why changes were made to the gun and how it came up with a soluti0n for the Army:

Why a redesign?

Several years ago, Benét Labs (the Army’s onsite design lab) discovered a safety-related flaw in the breechblock, albeit one that did not put soldiers at immediate risk. This finding was significant enough, however, to effect a change to the technical manual that required artillery crewmen to verify and measure the firing pin protrusion after every live firing, said Jeanne Brooks, a mechanical engineer with Benét Labs.

The breechblock improvements under this new modification will reduce the number of breechblock parts by 30 percent, which should reduce maintenance cost and downtime because there will be fewer parts affected by wear and tear.

The redesigned breechblock also eliminates the recock mechanism by incorporating this function into the side of the breech ring. Removal of the recock mechanism from behind the weapon removes the need for a soldier to reach behind the cannon in the path of the recoil during a misfire to recock the weapon. This is a significant safety gain while also eliminating the need for a recock tool.

“This new modification will initially be integrated into about half of the Army’s M119 howitzers,” said Randell Huffy, the Arsenal’s production control & program management chief.

Because of the long lead time associated with acquiring the raw materials, the Arsenal will begin production around mid-2012, Huffy said. The projected man-year gain from this new contract is 24 over a three-year period for the Arsenal.